Julie Bell

Julie bell was born in south-east Texas, she spent the early part of her life in competitive bodybuilding. But after meeting and marrying another great fantasy illustrator Boris Vallejo, she has slowly risen to become one of the most famous fantasy artists. With her style of ‘metal flesh’ she gives super heroes and fantasy characters an unmistakable finish. Julie’s need to make her heroes and heroines so perfect probably came from a troubled childhood with her mother, which made Julie to become a strong person. Many people including her husband and children look at Julie Bell as real life heroin. Her ability to render such a ‘perfect’ idea human physique, is her due to her own understanding of the body through body building, along with the use of live models (mainly body builders or super models) and many sketchbooks of figure studies. Her ‘metal flesh’ and ‘liquid metal’ effects are gained using oils and mainly finishing with an airbrush. She also uses a good knowledge of colour theory and dynamic poses to give her character vibrancy and style, which are unique.

Please click on the linked pictures to see a comparison between the original and my copy.